{"id":18718,"date":"2019-09-28T13:15:11","date_gmt":"2019-09-28T18:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/?p=18718"},"modified":"2019-09-28T13:15:11","modified_gmt":"2019-09-28T18:15:11","slug":"dangers-if-listeria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/articles\/food-safety-news\/dangers-if-listeria\/","title":{"rendered":"Dangers of Listeria"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Listeria monocytogenes<\/em> (<em>Listeri<\/em>a) is a harmful foodborne bacteria found in ready-to-eat and unpasteurized (raw) milk and milk products &#8211; and can cause invasive severe human illness (listeriosis) in susceptible people.<br \/>\nFor most healthy people, the infection doesn\u2019t pose much of a threat, but for some people (pregnant women, newborns, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems), the infection can be serious or even life-threatening, particularly pregnant women and their unborn babies.<br \/>\nIt\u2019s rare for people in other groups to get sick with <em>Listeria<\/em> infection. Listeriosis is the serious infection caused by <em>Listeria.<\/em><br \/>\nUnlike most bacteria, <em>Listeria <\/em>survive and multiply at lower (refrigerator) temperatures &#8211; which allows it to reach levels high enough to cause illness. Although freezing will prevent <em>Listeria<\/em> bacteria from growing, it does not kill the bacteria<\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"media-credit-container alignleft\"  style=\"max-width: 1034px\">\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18722 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/listeria_bacteria_food_safety_illness_003_shutterstock_400088737.jpg\" alt=\"listeria_bacteria_food_safety_illness\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/listeria_bacteria_food_safety_illness_003_shutterstock_400088737.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/listeria_bacteria_food_safety_illness_003_shutterstock_400088737-225x150.jpg 225w, http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/listeria_bacteria_food_safety_illness_003_shutterstock_400088737-125x83.jpg 125w, http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/listeria_bacteria_food_safety_illness_003_shutterstock_400088737-768x512.jpg 768w, http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/listeria_bacteria_food_safety_illness_003_shutterstock_400088737-660x440.jpg 660w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><span class=\"media-credit\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-illustration\/3d-illustration-bacterium-listeria-monocytogenes-grampositive-400088737?src=ruc974N7dnwW3xwjeqyaXA-1-0\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" >Image Source: Shutterstock<\/a><\/span>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"help-box\">\r\n<div class=\"help-title\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-right: 8px;\" src=\"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/index_files\/food_safety_training_banner_icon.png\" alt=\"Food Safety Training\" width=\"39\" height=\"39\" align=\"absmiddle\" \/>Food Safety Training - SALE 10% OFF<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"help-link\"><a class=\"help-button\" title=\"More Info\/Enroll Now\" href=\"http:\/\/www.foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/food_service_safety_training_courses.html\" target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"nofollow\" >State Map<\/a><\/div>\r\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\r\n<div style=\"margin: 10px 0px 0px 10px; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px;\">\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Learn about foodborne pathogens, cross contamination, cold and hot food safety, and best practices to prevent foodborne illness.<\/li>\r\n<li>Food Manager ANSI Certification: $99.00 - Valid in all States<\/li>\r\n<li>Food Handler Training: Only $7.00!<\/li>\r\n<li>10% OFF: Enter Promo Code \"train10off\" at Checkout<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"page-title entry-title\">Ready-To-Eat (RTE) Foods<\/h3>\n<p>Ready-To-Eat foods are pre-packaged foods for ease of consumption. Products designated as convenience or ready-to-eat foods are often prepared food that can be sold as hot, ready-to-eat dishes; as room-temperature, shelf-stable products; or as refrigerated or frozen products that require minimal preparation (typically just heating).<\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"media-credit-container alignleft\"  style=\"max-width: 1034px\">\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18723 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/listeria_bacteria_food_safety_illness_004_shutterstock_1010495836.jpg\" alt=\"ready-to-eat_listeria_bacteria_food_safety_illness\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><span class=\"media-credit\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/healthy-takeaway-salads-on-display-coffee-1010495836?src=9U-fJOLhtkGL2wVQJQFpDQ-1-0\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" >Image Source: Shutterstock<\/a><\/span>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p>Ready-to-eat foods have a high risk of causing foodborne illness. Some examples of ready-to-eat foods include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Soft cheeses such as brie, feta, ricotta, blue-veined, and Mexican-style soft cheeses such as queso fresco (unless it is made with pasteurized milk)<\/li>\n<li>Soft-serve ice cream<\/li>\n<li>Hot dogs, luncheon meats, cold cuts<\/li>\n<li>P\u00e2t\u00e9s\/meat spreads \u2013 unless canned<\/li>\n<li>Precooked chicken and other meats<\/li>\n<li>Refrigerated smoked seafood products<\/li>\n<li>Deli-type salads such as coleslaw, potato, macaroni, tuna, etc.<\/li>\n<li>Pre-packed raw vegetables and mixed raw vegetable salad<\/li>\n<li>Pre-cut fresh fruits and fruit salads<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"media-credit-container alignleft\"  style=\"max-width: 1034px\">\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18725 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/listeria_bacteria_food_safety_illness_005_shutterstock_259264928.jpg\" alt=\"cold_cuts_ready-to-eat_listeria_bacteria_food_safety_illness\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" \/><span class=\"media-credit\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/cold-cuts-bread-259264928?src=g5H2DMEzWFcUP7guDhoLIg-1-0\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" >Image Source: Shutterstock<\/a><\/span>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<h3>Raw Milk and Milk Products<\/h3>\n<p>Raw milk, i.e., unpasteurized milk, can harbor dangerous microorganisms that can pose serious health risk.<br \/>\nRaw milk is milk from cows, sheep, or goats can contain harmful bacteria such as <em>Salmonella, E. coli<\/em>, and <em>Listeria<\/em>.<br \/>\nPasteurization is the process that kills harmful bacteria by heating milk to a specific temperature for a set period of time.<\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"media-credit-container alignleft\"  style=\"max-width: 1034px\">\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18700 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/raw_dairy_unpasterized_milk_food_safety_illness_002_shutterstock_1025470135.jpg\" alt=\"raw_milk_listeria_bacteria_food_safety_illness\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/raw_dairy_unpasterized_milk_food_safety_illness_002_shutterstock_1025470135.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/raw_dairy_unpasterized_milk_food_safety_illness_002_shutterstock_1025470135-225x150.jpg 225w, http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/raw_dairy_unpasterized_milk_food_safety_illness_002_shutterstock_1025470135-125x83.jpg 125w, http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/raw_dairy_unpasterized_milk_food_safety_illness_002_shutterstock_1025470135-768x512.jpg 768w, http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/raw_dairy_unpasterized_milk_food_safety_illness_002_shutterstock_1025470135-660x440.jpg 660w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><span class=\"media-credit\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/large-assortment-artisanal-dairy-products-on-1025470135?src=PKgCRJ0iNIeK0fiNbhbDNA-1-0\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" >Image Source: Shutterstock<\/a><\/span>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<h3>Groups More Vulnerable to Listeria<\/h3>\n<p><em>Listeria <\/em>infections are dangerous to people with weakened immune systems (such as transplant patients and individuals with HIV\/AIDS, cancer, and diabetes), children, older adults, and pregnant women.<br \/>\nSome people with <em>Listeria <\/em>infections, most commonly adults 65 years and older and people with weakened immune systems, develop severe infections of the bloodstream (causing sepsis) or brain (causing meningitis or encephalitis).<br \/>\n<em>Listeria<\/em> infections can sometimes affect other parts of the body, including bones, joints, and sites in the chest and abdomen.<br \/>\n<strong>The Dangers of Listeria and Pregnant Women<br \/>\n<\/strong>Pregnant women run a serious risk of becoming ill from the bacteria <em>Listeria.<\/em> If a woman is pregnant, <em>Listeria<\/em> can can cause miscarriage, or illness, or death of the newborn baby &#8211; even if the mother doesn&#8217;t feel sick.<\/p>\n<div class=\"alert alert-warning\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-17369\" src=\"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/vulnerable_at_risk_groups_food_illness_safety.jpg\" alt=\"vulnerable_at_risk_groups_food_illness_safety\" width=\"1024\" height=\"531\" \/><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<h3>What are the symptoms of listeriosis?<\/h3>\n<p>Listeriosis can cause a variety of symptoms, depending on the person and the part of the body affected. <em>Listeria<\/em> can cause fever and diarrhea similar to other foodborne germs, but this type of <em>Listeria<\/em> infection is rarely diagnosed. Symptoms in people with invasive listeriosis, meaning the bacteria has spread beyond the gut, depend on whether the person is pregnant.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Pregnant women<\/strong>: Pregnant women typically experience only fever and other flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue and muscle aches. However, infections during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.<\/li>\n<li><strong>People other than pregnant women<\/strong>: Symptoms can include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions in addition to fever and muscle aches.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>People with invasive listeriosis usually report symptoms starting 1 to 4 weeks after eating food contaminated with <em>Listeria<\/em>; some people have reported symptoms starting as late as 70 days after exposure or as early as the same day of exposure.<\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"media-credit-container alignleft\"  style=\"max-width: 1034px\">\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18719 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/listeria_bacteria_food_safety_illness_001_listeria_food_illnes_safety.jpg\" alt=\"listeria_bacteria_food_safety_illness\" width=\"1024\" height=\"893\" \/><span class=\"media-credit\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-vector\/listeria-vector-illustration-labeled-educational-foodborne-1490717381?src=JTgPfcGAbDDMdK4TTqsLrg-1-0\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" >Image Source: Shutterstock<\/a><\/span>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<h3>How to Reduce Your Risk from <i>Listeria<\/i><\/h3>\n<p>There are three very simple things you can do to help prevent illness from <i>Listeria<\/i>:<br \/>\n<strong>1. Chill at the Right Temperature<br \/>\n<\/strong>The right temperatures slow the growth of <i>Listeria<\/i>. Put a refrigerator thermometer in the refrigerator and adjust the refrigerator temperature control, if necessary. Put a second thermometer in the freezer. Your refrigerator should register at 40\u00b0F (4\u00b0C) or below and your freezer at 0\u00b0F (-18\u00b0C).<br \/>\n<strong>2. Use Ready-to-Eat Foods Quickly!<br \/>\n<\/strong>Use ready-to-eat, refrigerated foods by the Use By date on the package. The longer they\u2019re stored in the refrigerator, the more chance <i>Listeria<\/i> has to grow.<br \/>\n<strong>3. Keep the Refrigerator Clean<br \/>\n<\/strong>Clean your refrigerator regularly. Wipe up spills immediately. This is particularly important, so <i>Listeria<\/i> doesn\u2019t have a place to grow and then spread to other foods. Clean the inside walls and shelves with hot water and a mild liquid dishwashing detergent, rinse, then dry with a clean cloth or paper towel.<\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"media-credit-container alignleft\"  style=\"max-width: 1034px\">\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-18721\" src=\"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcertification.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/listeria_bacteria_food_safety_illness_002_shutterstock_195940637.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"720\" \/><span class=\"media-credit\">Image Source: Shutterstock<\/span>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n<div style=\"clear: both; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<h3>References<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"content-title text-center\">CDC: Listeria.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/listeria\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" rel=\"nofollow\" >https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/listeria\/index.html<\/a><\/li>\n<li>FDA: Get the Facts about Listeria.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/animal-veterinary\/animal-health-literacy\/get-facts-about-listeria\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" rel=\"nofollow\" >https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/animal-veterinary\/animal-health-literacy\/get-facts-about-listeria<\/a><\/li>\n<li>WebMD: What is Listeria?<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/food-recipes\/food-poisoning\/what-is-listeria#1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" rel=\"nofollow\" >https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/food-recipes\/food-poisoning\/what-is-listeria#1<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Food and Drug Administration website. Food safety for pregnant women.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/food\/people-risk-foodborne-illness\/food-safety-pregnant-women\" target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"nofollow\" >http:\/\/fda.gov\/Food\/FoodborneIllnessContaminants\/PeopleAtRisk\/ucm312704.htm<\/a><\/li>\n<li>New York State Department of Health website. Listeriosis (<em>Listeria <\/em>infection).<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.health.ny.gov\/diseases\/communicable\/listeriosis\/fact_sheet.htm\" target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"nofollow\" >http:\/\/health.ny.gov\/diseases\/communicable\/listeriosis\/fact_sheet.htm<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Listeria is a harmful foodborne bacteria found in ready-to-eat and unpasteurized (raw) milk and milk products &#8211; and can cause invasive severe human illness (listeriosis) in susceptible people.<br \/>\nUnlike most bacteria, Listeria survive and multiply at lower (refrigerator) temperatures &#8211; which allows it to reach levels high enough to cause illness.\u00a0<br \/>\nPregnant women run a serious risk of becoming ill from the bacteria Listeria &#8211; which can cause miscarriage, or create illness, or death, of the newborn baby.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18722,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,245,246],"tags":[263,264],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18718"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18718"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18718\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/foodsafetytrainingcourses.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}